you are the brightest stars in my dark, dark sky
by splendidlyimperfect
Summary: It's almost Diwali and Natsu's missing his family. His boyfriends have some plans to make the holidays feel right. / **Part of 'i'm with them' series, see profile for links**


_Dhanteras_

"I miss my family."

Natsu sat at the kitchen table, looking out the window at the busy street. Gray set down the dish towel, wiping his hands on his jeans and moving to sit next to Natsu. He reached out a hand and Natsu took it, still not looking at Gray.

"You mean your parents?" Gray asked softly, squeezing Natsu's hand. Natsu didn't talk to them often – they weren't accepting of his 'lifestyle', although his mother had come to tolerate Gray's presence at some family gatherings. Natsu hadn't even bothered to tell them about Sting and Rogue, knowing that the conversation wouldn't go well.

"Mm. I talked to _maan_ last week, but I haven't seen _pita_ since we visited in July." Natsu sighed. Gray remembered that trip – Natsu's father had been cold and distant, and Natsu hadn't wanted to talk about it after they'd left.

"Is it because Christmas is coming up?" Gray asked, moving closer and rubbing Natsu's back.

"Sort of," Natsu admitted. He finally looked up at Gray with sad eyes. "Diwali starts tomorrow. I haven't celebrated since I left home." He rubbed his eyes. "It was this... my _daadee_ and _daada_ – grandma and grandpa – would visit, and all my cousins and aunts and uncles. We had lights up everywhere, it was..." he trailed off.

"Do you... want to celebrate?" Gray asked hesitantly. He'd seen signs up at the grocery store advertising sweets and foods for the holiday – he knew how to cook several Indian dishes that Natsu had liked growing up. But they'd never celebrated Diwali before.

"I dunno," Natsu said. "Maybe?" He swallowed. "It just feels strange without them." Natsu sniffed and wiped at his face again, and Gray realized he was crying.

"Oh, sweetheart," he said, pulling Natsu to stand up with him and wrapping him in a hug. "I'm sorry." He stroked Natsu's hair, suddenly thinking back to the past few days. "Is that why you've been cleaning like crazy?" Natsu made a noncommittal noise against his shoulder. "Talk to me, love. I only remember bits and pieces."

When Natsu and Gray had first started dating and disguised their relationship as roommates and friends, Gray had participated in Diwali celebrations a few times with Natsu's family. However, he hadn't spoken Hindi at the time, and most of it had gone over his head.

"There's... lights," Natsu said hesitantly, pulling back from Gray's embrace a bit. "You're supposed to put out _diyas_ , these little lamps. But my cousins always just did Christmas lights."

"We have plenty of those," Gray said, gesturing to the front closet. "You wanna put them up?" He rubbed his hands up and down Natsu's arms. Natsu shrugged.

"I dunno," he said softly. "Maybe?" He sighed. "It's not a big deal."

"Hey." Gray kissed Natsu's forehead. "If it's important to you, it's important to us."

* * *

 _Naraka Chaturdashi_

Two days later, Natsu came home to find the apartment smelling oddly familiar. A rush of memories flooded through him and he stopped, hand almost to the key rack.

"Hey, you," Rogue said from the kitchen, apron tied around his waist. He was mixing something on the stove and waved to Natsu. Natsu kicked off his shoes, coming into the kitchen and wrapping his arms around Rogue's waist from behind.

"What're you making?" he asked, pressing a kiss to the back of Rogue's neck. Rogue hummed and turned around in his arms, kissing him gently.

"Besan... ladoo?" he said uncertainly. "I'm not sure if I'm saying that right."

Natsu's eyes widened. He hadn't had those in forever, and here they were on his kitchen counter.

"Yeah," he said softly, peeking behind Rogue. "And... is that mysore pak?" Rogue nodded. "Those are like, ninety percent sugar. Sting's going to love that." He sighed, squeezing Rogue tightly and pressing his face into his boyfriend's shoulder.

"I hope they turn out okay," Rogue said softly, kissing Natsu's head.

"Did you call my maan for the recipes?" Natsu asked softly, not lifting his head. Rogue nodded, leaning back against the counter and pulling Natsu closer. "Did she... what did she say?"

"Not much," Rogue admitted. "She was surprised, but she didn't ask why. She said to say hi to you and Gray." Natsu huffed.

"That's surprising," he muttered. "She wasn't the friendliest last time we were there." He sighed, pulling away from Rogue a bit and rubbing his face. "She... tolerates Gray."

"Maybe she's coming around?" Rogue suggested. Natsu shrugged, his chest aching. His heart hurt because maan couldn't love him like he was, and it swelled because Rogue was trying, was doing this for him.

"How'd you know today was... the food?" Natsu recalled sitting in his parent's kitchen, picking from plate upon plate of different sweets that _maan_ and _chaachee_ had prepared.

"Wikipedia," Rogue admitted guiltily. Natsu snorted, then leaned up and kissed Rogue gently. He ran a hand up Rogue's cheek, other hand resting on his boyfriend's hip.

"Thank you," he said softly. _"Dhanyavaad."_

* * *

 _Lakshmi Puja_

"Son of a _bitch."_

Sting popped his thumb into his mouth, frowning and glaring at the nail in his other hand. Natsu laughed and came up behind him, kissing him on the cheek.

"You gonna live?" He took Sting's hand from his mouth and pressed a kiss to the tiny mark, nipping at Sting's thumb in the process.

"Maybe," Sting replied, turning around and pulling Natsu into his arms. "Dunno yet, though. Might need a few more kisses to be sure."

Natsu rolled his eyes, but he grinned as he pressed another kiss to Sting's lips. Sting's hands drifted to Natsu's hips, pulling him close and sighing happily.

"Better?" Natsu asked against his lips. Sting hummed, pressing their foreheads together.

"Mm." He turned his gaze back to the nail in his hand, then looked over at the pile of lights sitting on the coffee table. "Now I just have to get through putting these up without injuring myself."

"Good luck with that," Gray said as he came into the living room, carrying two mugs of coffee. He set them down on the coffee table and then joined the embrace when Sting reached out his arm. He kissed both of them, then plucked the nail from Sting's hand. "Why don't you let me?"

Sting grumbled a bit but relinquished the nail to Gray, who took it and gestured for Natsu to help him lift the string of lights over the TV. Rogue appeared from the kitchen, carrying a tray with the last of the sweets from yesterday – there weren't many, since Natsu and Sting had eaten most of them.

"So, there's a festival tonight," Rogue said slowly, looking at Natsu. "The one down at the park. They're setting off fireworks and everything, and they have the lamps to set out. Did you... want to go?"

"Really?" Natsu's face was a mixture of excitement and apprehension. "I didn't think they still did that... I went a few times when I was a kid. My cousins would probably be there." His face shifted into uncertainty.

"Is that okay?" Gray asked, continuing to drape the lights along the wall.

"Y-yeah," Natsu said, chewing on his lip. "I think so. They all... talk to my family."

"We can keep our hands to ourselves," Sting said, grabbing one of the pieces of mysore pak from the tray Rogue carried. "If you're worried about that. We understand."

Natsu sighed, rubbing his face. "No, I don't... maybe? My parents don't know." Rogue reached over the couch and grabbed Natsu's hand. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, love," Rogue said. He moved around the couch and set the tray down, then hugged Natsu tightly. "Let's just go have fun."

* * *

As soon as they arrived at the park, Natsu recognized at least six other people and disappeared into the crowd of family and friends. Brightly colored lanterns hung from the trees, and small clay lamps lined the sidewalk, brightening the night with their warmth. People around them were dressed in radiant colors, and little children ran back and forth with sparklers in their hands.

"You do not need a sparkler," Rogue said, grabbing Sting's arm as he looked over with interest. "You've already nearly nailed your hand to the wall today, you're not going to burn your eye out too." Sting pouted and Rogue laughed, wrapping an arm around his waist.

"Gray!" Natsu appeared from the crowd, grinning and out of breath. "C'mon, they're selling chaat!" He grabbed Gray's hand, then looked at Sting and Rogue with an uncertain expression on his face. Sting grinned at him, nodding for Rogue to follow them over to the open area of the park where several food trucks were set up.

The food was delicious, and the four of them sat on the edge of the fountain to eat. Every few minutes someone Natsu recognized came up to him to talk, and Gray caught bits and pieces of their conversations – usually about work or school or kids. Sting did end up getting a sparkler, and Rogue rolled his eyes when he ended up burning his fingers.

"Look!" Natsu shouted as a firework streaked across the sky above them, exploding into a shower of brilliant green sparkles that drifted down over the crowd. The children running around yelled out in excitement, chasing each other in circles around the fountain. Another firework shot up into sky, turning into blossoms of white and yellow that spiraled up into the dark.

 _"Diwali ki Shubhkamnayein,"_ Gray whispered in Natsu's ear, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him close. "I know it's not the same as when you were little, but I hope-"

"It's perfect," Natsu said softly, turning to give Gray quick kiss. He gave Sting and Rogue a meaningful look and they both smiled back at him, then they all turned their attention back to the sky, where the celebration of light splashed through the darkness in hundreds of bright colors.

* * *

 _Bali Pratipadā_

The next morning, Natsu woke in a tangle of arms and legs. Gray, who usually moved away from them halfway through the night, was still behind him, arm tucked over his stomach and knee nudged between Natsu's thighs. Sting was snuggled up under Natsu's chin, Rogue wrapped around him with his face on the back of Sting's neck.

Natsu sighed happily, burrowing his face back into the pillow and enjoying the warmth of his boyfriends surrounding him. The lights that Gray had hung up over the bed were still on – they'd left them overnight to celebrate the holiday – but the sun was now peeking through the curtains and casting a ray of warmth directly across the four of them.

Gray was the first to wake up, shifting against Natsu and kissing the back of his neck. "Hey, sweetheart," he mumbled, nuzzling Natsu's hair. "You sleep okay?"

"Mm," Natsu replied, running his fingers up and down Sting's back gently. He tipped his head back until Gray could kiss him. Gray's hands were, for once, warm against Natsu's stomach and Natsu hummed happily. "Wanna make me pancakes?"

An hour later they were all sitting at the kitchen table, happily eating the breakfast Gray had cooked for them.

"Thanks, darling," Sting said, tugging Gray toward him and pulling him down for a kiss. "You're the best."

"I know," Gray said, grinning and kissing Sting on the forehead, then turning to Natsu. "We, uh, have something for you, love."

Natsu frowned as Sting and Rogue turned to him as well. "What did you guys do?" he asked cautiously. Rogue reached back to the counter and grabbed an envelope, handing it to Natsu. Natsu took it, looking at it curiously.

"Just open it, you dork." Sting kicked his shin gently under the table and Natsu ran his finger under the envelope flap, pulling it open. His eyes widened as he tugged out the sheet of paper inside.

"You guys..." he breathed. It was an itinerary summary, with four round-trip plane tickets to Montréal. "You..."

"We talked to Erza and she said that the last day of Diwali is for visiting sisters," Gray explained, leaning against the table. "So... we're gonna go visit her."

"Tomorrow?" Natsu asked incredulously. "But we... work..."

"I already talked to work," Sting said, putting a hand on Natsu's knee. "They're fine, we got replacements." Natsu dropped the paper into his lap and looked up at them, tears in his eyes.

"You..." His voice wobbled and he wiped as his face. Sting moved over and crouched down in front of him, putting his hands on Natsu's thighs. "I just..." Natsu sighed shakily, putting his hand on top of Sting's. "Thank you."

"Of course," Rogue said gently, moving over to Natsu and running a hand through his hair. He tipped Natsu's chin up until they were looking at each other. "We would do anything for you."

"Fuck," Natsu whispered, wiping at the tears that were still falling down his cheeks. "I love you guys so much."

"We know," Sting said, grinning and leaning up to kiss Natsu on the nose. "Now, up." He stood and pulled Natsu to his feet, hugging him tightly. "C'mon, we've got some bags to pack."

* * *

 _Bhai Dooj_

"I'm going to die."

Natsu groaned and held his stomach, leaning heavily against Rogue. The plane had landed and they were heading down the walkway into the airport.

"That's a bit dramatic, love," Rogue replied, kissing Natsu's forehead. "You're not going to die, just keep breathing."

"I hate flying," Natsu grumbled, rubbing his temples. He brightened once they entered the actual airport, and by the time they made it to the luggage belt, he was practically vibrating with excitement.

"I think I see-"

"Uncle Natsu!" A tiny girl with bright blue hair came flying toward them, crashing straight into Natsu's knees. He let out an oof, then quickly leaned down and scooped her up into his arms.

"Wendy!" he said, grinning and kissing her cheek. "You got so big!" Wendy grinned, wrapping her arms around Natsu's neck and squeezing. "I missed you, _bhanji,"_ Natsu murmured, hugging her back.

 _"Ça va?"_ Gray reached out to hug Erza, who had been trailing behind Wendy. She squeezed him tightly, letting out a relieved sigh.

 _"Oui, elle était si impatiente,"_ she replied. Gray was always impressed by her French – she barely had an accent even though it was her third language. She let go of Gray and turned to her brother.

"Hey, you," she said softly, pulling him into a hug with Wendy between them. _"Tum mujhe bahut yaad aate ho."_

"I've missed you too," he said softly, holding her tightly. When they broke apart from the embrace, he turned and gestured to Sting and Rogue. "These are my..." he hesitated. "This is Sting and Rogue. I, uh, have something to tell you." Erza frowned. "Maybe it should wait until we get home?"

The drive back to Erza and Jellal's home was noisy – they all crammed into a van taxi and the conversation switched back and forth between French, English and Hindi. Wendy interjected in all three languages, telling stories about preschool and her friends.

Once they were all settled at the apartment and Sting was sitting on the floor playing Lego with Wendy, Natsu pulled Erza into the kitchen.

"So, your friends?" she said in Hindi. "When Gray called, he said you were bringing them."

Natsu sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look, I know that maan and pita are already... unimpressed with my relationship with Gray, so I haven't said anything about this to them yet, but... Sting and Rogue are also my partners." He didn't look up. "It's a bit strange, but... I love them too. And we're all happy together."

Erza was silent for a moment, tapping her fingers on the countertop. "All of you?" she asked finally. Natsu chanced a look up at her – she didn't look upset, only curious.

Natsu nodded. "We live together," he said carefully. "We were... roommates for a long time before we became partners." He glanced through the cutout into the living room, where Wendy was now sitting on Sting's lap while he read to her.

"I'm... not surprised," she said after a moment. Natsu's gaze snapped up to her. She laughed, shaking her head. "You look at them like you look at Gray," she said gently. "The way Gray talked about them on the phone, it felt... different. More than friends. But seeing you at the airport made me certain."

Natsu stared at her, searching for words but finding none. In the background he could hear the chatter of Jellal and Gray talking about work, and the soft background noise of Sting reading.

"Are you happy?" Erza asked, looking like she already knew the answer.

"Yes," Natsu said without hesitation. "I love them all."

"Then you're blessed with more love than most." Erza smiled and reached out for Natsu, pulling him into a hug. He sighed, resting his head on her shoulder. "Maan and pita will understand some day."

Natsu fought against the tears that were already stinging behind his eyes. "So this... you don't..." he leaned back, searching her face for any sign of hesitation. "This doesn't bother you? At all?"

Erza shook her head, smiling. "It would only bother me if I thought one of them wasn't treating you right." She played with her wedding ring. "But they clearly love you just as much as you love them, and I'm happy for you."

Natsu took a shaky breath, leaning back against the counter and trying desperately to keep from crying. "You know," he said, laughing, "this is the second time you've taken the fun out of coming out."

Erza snorted. _"Birader,_ I've known you were gay since you were two."

Natsu shook his head, unable to stop a grin from spreading across his face. He looked over at the living room again, at his family.

"I can't believe how big she's gotten," Nastu said, nodding at Wendy. Now she was tugging on Rogue's pants leg, showing him one of her dolls.

"It has been a year since you've seen her," Erza replied, smiling. "Now, get out of my kitchen, you're a menace. Tell Gray to come help me make dinner."

* * *

"I don't think I'll ever eat again."

Sting flopped down face-first on the hotel bed, groaning. Natsu settled beside him, leaning against the headboard.

"You say that, but tomorrow at breakfast you're gonna eat like six waffles," he said, grinning. Sting grunted in response, scooting up the bed until his head was resting on Natsu's chest.

Rogue kicked off his shoes and settled down on Natsu's other side, and Natsu motioned for Gray to sit between his legs and lie back on his chest. The position was familiar and comfortable, and Natsu sighed into the feeling of Rogue's fingers in his hair.

"Thank you," he said quietly. Gray's weight against him was comforting, and he rubbed his fingers on the back of Gray's neck. Sting tipped his head up and Natsu smiled, leaning down and kissing him.

"We just want you to be happy," Rogue said, and Natsu turned to kiss him as well. "Plus, we all needed a vacation." Natsu laughed, nuzzling Rogue's cheek.

"This has been amazing," he said, leaning down to kiss Gray as well. He could feel Gray's fingers on his stomach, and Sting kissing the side of his neck, and Rogue's hand in his, twining their fingers together. "I love you all so much."

"We love you too," Gray said, resting his head on Natsu's chest. They lay there for a while, passing soft kisses back and forth and drifting gentle touches over each other's bodies. After a while Gray yawned.

"All right, I'm old and I need to sleep," he said. Natsu snorted. "There's no way all four of us are fitting on this for the night." The room had two queen beds, and even with them all cuddling on one it was already a tight fit.

"Dibs on Sting," Natsu said quickly. The other two gave him exasperated looks and he stuck his tongue out at them. "Oh, don't give me that look, he's the most comfortable and you know it." Sting's cheeks flushed pink and Natsu kissed him on the nose. "Get outta here, you two."

Gray snorted and shook his head, kissing Natsu once more before pushing himself off the bed and heading to the washroom to brush his teeth. Rogue pecked Natsu and Sting on the cheeks, then stood up and headed to the other bed, pulling out his book.

Natsu snuggled closer to Sting, shifting him so he was almost on Natsu's lap. Sting hummed happily and ran his fingers over Natsu's stomach, earning him a contented sigh.

"Love you," Sting murmured, yawning. Natsu could feel his own eyes closing, even though he was still in his jeans and dress shirt. He contemplated getting up and changing, but he felt so warm, and so content, and so very, very loved.

 _"Mujhe tum se pyar hai,"_ he whispered, kissing the top of Sting's head. "I love you all too."

* * *

 **Authors Notes:**

This fic is a collab with lastoneleft on AO3 and gray-x-natsus-matching-hip-scars on Tumblr

It's Diwali in my neighborhood and I wanted to write about Natsu celebrating it! In this AU he is Indo-Canadian and Hindu, and speaks Hindi with his family.

I myself am not Indo-Canadian, so relied heavily on my friend to help me with details and translations. I have attended the Diwali festivals here but I'm not immersed in the tradition. If you see anything that is incorrect, misspelled or mistranslated _please_ let me know so I can fix it!


End file.
